Port Angeles Healthy Youth Coalition
Our History and Shared Purpose
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Over many years, many voices have carried messages of hope and concern addressing underage substance use in Port Angeles. As we embark on a new calendar year, we reflect on the history of our work and shared intentions.
How did we get here? Since 2003, the Port Angeles Healthy Youth Coalition (PAHYC) has led prevention efforts in Clallam County. Under the guidance of the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery Fellowship Program with Washington State University, the PAHYC was re-conceptualized in 2019. On July 1, 2021, with the support of Clallam County Juvenile and Family Services, PAHYC became a recipient site for Washington Health Care Authority's Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative (CPWI).
Why here? We believe substance use in childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood is preventable through a nurturing community and the healing potential of human relationships. All youth are at some risk of misusing and abusing substances, and we convene local and regional prevention partners, public health entities, and youth-serving institutions to work together to prevent young people from developing an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, cannabis, tobacco, opioids, and other substances.
The ultimate purpose of our work is to do our part to make sure Port Angeles is a safe place where young people thrive, free from substance use and supported in their overall health and well-being.
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2021 In Review
New funding, staff and fiscal partner
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On July 1, 2021, Port Angeles Healthy Youth Coalition was awarded Substance Abuse Block Grant (SABG) COVID Enhancement and State Opioid Response (SOR) No Cost Extension (NCE) and SOR II funding to expand strategies to prevent the onset and reduce the progression of alcohol, cannabis, and opioid use and abuse before adulthood. With this renewed funding from July 1st to January 1st the PAHYC accomplished:
Organizational Development -
- Clallam County Juvenile and Family Services hired a new staff member, Community Coalition Coordinator, Rachel Ray in August.
- Educational Services District 114 hired a Student Assistance Professional, AJ Teel in Port Angeles High School.
- Port Angeles Healthy Youth Coalition members grew to represent 15 community sectors including, youth-serving organizations, SUD treatment and recovery community, schools, law enforcement and healthcare.
In the Community Activities -
- Facilitated 5 community meetings.
- Conducted 26 key informant interviews.
- Hosted 9 planning workgroup meetings, and countless one-on-one planning meetings.
- Shared 5 community newsletters.
- Spoke once on local KONP radio.
- Disseminated 5 press releases.
- Partnered with Clallam County Sheriff's Office and BAART Port Angeles to distribute 70 LockMed bags, at no cost to community members.
- Hosted a virtual Town Hall Event with Clallam County Health and Human Services led by Jason Kilmer, PhD from the University of Washington with 52 attendees.
- Launched Youth Concerns Port Angeles, an effort to bring together key leaders in our community serving youth with 32 participants.
- Sent 5 Coalition Members to the Washington State Prevention Summit.
- Conducted an annual Community Survey and acquired 115 responses.
In the Coalition Activities -
- Reviewed key prevention science from the Institute of Medicine's Continuum of Care and Substance Use and Mental Health Administration's Strategic Prevention Framework.
- Analyzed and created data visualizations for 2012-2018 Healthy Youth Survey data.
- Port Angeles Healthy Youth Coalition members collectively contributed over at least 120 hours of volunteer time.
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Prevention Partners of Clallam County
With Clallam County Prevention Works! Coalition
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“With rare exceptions, all of your most important achievements on this planet will come from working with others- or, in a word, partnership.” - Paul Farmer, MD, Ph.D.
Clallam County has four communities that receive funding from Washington Health Care Authority’s Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery to support community-led efforts to prevent underage substance use and promote youth mental health. These communities were invited by Clallam County Prevention Works! a county-wide coalition that promotes positive childhoods in Clallam County, to share how their community coalitions are impacting substance use disorder and mental health.
Coordinators Ann Penn-Charles, Prevention Specialist from Quileute Human Services, Tuesday Mattix, Coalition Coordinator from Crescent United Coalition, Jolene Price, Coalition Coordinator for the Quillayute Valley School District and Rachel Ray, Coalition Coordinator Port Angeles Healthy Youth Coalition joined the panel on January 25th and shared their insights and experience working closely with community coalitions to affect positive change.
To learn more prevention efforts in Clallam County visit: https://pw4kids.org/
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Our 2021-2023 Strategic Plan
Collaboration, Evidence-based Approaches, Community Mobilization
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Our 2021-2023 Strategic Plan is a short-range planning document establishing the goals and objectives to address substance use disorder and opioid use disorder prevention in Port Angeles. The Port Angeles Healthy Youth Coalition analyzed quantitative data from the Healthy Youth Survey (HYS) from the Office of Public School Superintendent (OSPI) and qualitative data obtained internally and from local partners in the creation of this plan. The data was used to select strategies that impact the risk and protective factors contributing to youth substance use in Port Angeles and the region.
- With partners in the community, in 2022-2023 we will continue to implement the Port Angeles Healthy Youth Coalition, Youth Concerns Port Angeles, town hall events, no-cost training opportunities, Handle With Care, Med Take Back campaign, and free lockbox distribution. We will begin exploring, local purchase surveys of tobacco, vape products, and alcohol, and social norms marketing.
- For local families, with partners in the community we are seeking to implement, Guiding Good Choices, Nurse Family Partnership, Hidden In Plain Sight and High In Plain Sight.
- For local youth, with partners in the community we are seeking to implement, Mentor Washington, SPORT Prevention Plus Wellness, and explore school-based social norms marketing, Youth Participatory Research Action with Washington State University and support a youth prevention club at Port Angeles High School with Educational Services District 114.
We are so grateful for all the voluntary participation in creating this comprehensive plan. A final copy of this document will be available on March 1st. If you are interested in learning more, reach out to us at rray@co.clallam.wa.us.
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We are embarking on the meaningful work of building a community around health and safety with renewed funding. Our Coalition seeks members and partners within the community, who have a particular passion for preventing substance use and misuse, and supporting a safe and healthy community for young people to thrive.
To get involved we invite you to email us at rray@co.clallam.wa.us or complete this confidential 6-minute member survey to share more about yourself and your interests.
We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting, every third Thursday from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm on Zoom. All are welcome.
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